Executive education: The leading edge

Traditional classroom approaches to executive education are giving way to more action-oriented programs that link learning sessions with on-the-job development. These programs draw on a variety of learning media, make participants responsible for action plans back at the workplace, and provide support-group and coaching help. A discussion presents overviews and evaluations of 3 such programs: The Center for Creative Leadership's LeaderLab Program, AT&T's Leadership Development Program, and ARAMARK's Executive Leadership Institute. Based on the analysis of these programs, the discussion identifies a number of key principles that should guide learning, including: 1. Real-time interaction with real-life business issues is an integral element of effective education. 2. Executive education should be designed to develop and revitalize both the participant and the organization.